Section 12 Interpretation.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

• " British aircraft " means an aircraft registered in me United Kingdom ;

• " British enforcement officer " has the meaning assigned to it by section 5(2) above ;

• " British hovercraft " means a hovercraft registered in the United Kingdom ;

• " British marine structure " means a marine structure owned by or leased to an individual resident in or a body corporate incorporated under the law of any part of the United Kingdom ;

• " British ship " means a vessel registered in the United Kingdom, OI' a vessel exempted from such registration under the 1894 c. 60.Merchant Shipping Act 1894 ;

• " captain ", in relation to a hovercraft, means the person who is designated by the operator to be in charge of it during any journey, or, failing such designation, the person who is for the time being lawfully in charge of it ;

• " commander ", in relation to an aircraft, means the member of the flight crew designated as commander of that aircraft by the operator thereof, or, failing such a person, the person who is for the time being the pilot in command of the aircraft ;

• " Convention " includes an agreement or other arrangement ;

• " Convention State ", in relation to the London Convention, the Oslo Convention or a designated Convention, means a State declared to be a party to that Convention by an order for the time being in force under subsection (3) below ;

• " designated Convention " means a Convention declared to be a designated Convention by an order for the time being in force under that subsection ;

• " dumping " has the meaning assigned to it by section 1 above ;

• " foreign enforcement officer " has the meaning assigned to it by section 6(2) above ;

• " government department " includes a department of the Government of Northern Ireland ;

• " harbour authority " has the meaning assigned to it by section 57 of the 1964 c. 40.Harbours Act 1964 or in Northern Ireland, section 38 of the 1970 c. 1 (N.I.).Harbours Act (Northern Ireland) 1970 ;

• " hovercraft " means a hovercraft within the meaning of the 1968 c. 59.Hovercraft Act 1968 ;

• " international organisations " means any organisation established in pursuance of Article XIV of the London Convention or Article 16 of the Oslo Convention and any similar organisation established in pursuance of a designated Convention ;

• " licensing authority " means—

  1. (a)

     in relation to substances or articles which have been or are to be loaded in England or Wales, or in United Kingdom waters adjacent to England or Wales, the Minister ;

  2. (b)

     in relation to substances or articles which have been or are to be loaded in Scotland, or in United Kingdom waters adjacent to Scotland, the Secretary of State ;

  3. (c)

     in relation to substances or articles which have been or are to be loaded in Northern Ireland, or in United Kingdom waters adjacent to Northern Ireland, the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland; and

  4. (d)

     in relation to substances or articles which have been or are to be loaded outside the United Kingdom and outside United Kingdom waters, the Minister;

• " lighthouse authority " means a local lighthouse authority or a general lighthouse authority within the meaning of section 634 of the 1894 c. 60.Merchant Shipping Act 1894 ;

• " load " means load for dumping ;

• " the London Convention " means the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter concluded at London in December 1972 ;

• "marine structure" means a platform or other manmade structure at sea ;

• " master ", in relation to any ship, includes the person for the time being in charge of the ship ;

• " the Minister " means the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ;

• " the Oslo Convention " means the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft concluded at Oslo in February 1972 ;

• " sea " includes any area submerged at mean high water springs, and also includes, so far as the tide flows at mean high water springs, an estuary or an arm of the sea and the waters of any channel, creek, bay or river; and

• " United Kingdom waters " means any part of the sea within the seaward limits of United Kingdom territorial waters.

Any reference in this Act to any other enactment is a reference thereto as amended, and includes a reference thereto as extended or applied by or under any other enactment, including this Act.

The Minister and the Secretary of State may jointly by order declare—